What readers think of Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden, plus links to write your own review.

Fascinating true story of two sisters and best friends separated at the end of the Chinese Civil War. Jun ends up in Taiwan and sister Hong on the mainland -forced to denounce her sister and her family background. This is a personal account of the author's aunts which makes the book so insightful. I've read about Mao, the rise of communism, and the death of millions. But this book made it real describing the effect on one family. Highly recommend.

This enthralling story of two sisters Jun and Hong reads like a novel but is a true story of the Chen family over 40 years of Chinese history. The author Zhuqing Li relates the events in the lives of primarily her two aunts and the disastrous turn their lives take during the Chinese Civil War which left one sister choosing a future in the medical field and supporting the Communist Chinese while the other sister becomes an educator and supporter of the Nationalists on Taiwan. The family remaining in mainland China soon found that their survival would depend on disowning the sister on Taiwan. If you enjoy a story of women who survive against dire oppression and rise up to provide strength to others then this book will appeal. I also found that I was learning a great deal about a time and place in history that I have not seen covered in memoirs such as this. This is an important personal recounting of the Chinese history that brought about the splitting of China and Taiwan and will certainly provide understanding as we face the uncertainties of that situation in our present time.